La Liga: Can Cadiz Cause Barca More Camp Nou Chaos?

Barcelona vs Cadiz CF

Barcelona are back in La Liga action at Camp Nou just days after their stunning Europa League exit at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. Xavi’s side came into the tie as massive favourites, but they were simply outplayed by the Germans on their home field.

The Catalans will have a chance to make it up to their home supporters when they host Cadiz this midweek.

The La Liga 2022 betting odds will be heavily against Los Piratas, but with their La Liga lives on the line, they will be ready to give the Blaugrana a good battle.

Talking Points

Barca need to bounce back after Frankfurt farce

Barcelona are coming off a horrendous 3-2 home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt which knocked them out of the Europa League. It was a disastrous display from the Catalans, who were outshot 15-10 on their home ground despite commanding nearly 75 per cent of possession.

Barca president Joan Laporta apologised for the fact that nearly 20,000 Frankfurt fans were able to get into the Camp Nou, which helped play a part in reducing Barca’s home advantage.

But it will most likely be a Catalan-dominated crowd against Cadiz, which will benefit Barca. The Blaugrana are currently on a five-game winning run at home in the league and have kept three consecutive clean sheets.

Moreover, they are unbeaten in their last 15 league games and have won their last seven in a row. Although, they needed a late Luuk de Jong winner to beat Levante last time out.

But the bad La Liga 2022 news for Barca is that young midfielder Pedri is out for the season after suffering a hamstring injury against Frankfurt. Meanwhile, defender Rafael Araujo is suspended and Gerard Pique is a doubt to play.

Frenkie de Jong is expected to take Pedri’s place in midfield. But if Pique doesn’t play, Clement Lenglet – who hasn’t started a La Liga match since before Christmas – could be tasked to start alongside Eric Garcia.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Xavi will make a change up front. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a disappointing match against Frankfurt and has only scored once in his last four games. Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong are options to start in Aubameyang’s place.

However, Ousmane Dembele is a decent bet to retain his place. The in-form Frenchman was arguably Barca’s best player against Frankfurt and has provided nine assists in his last seven La Liga appearances.

Cadiz in the midst of close relegation fight

Cadiz are agonisingly close to exiting the relegation zone. They are just one point behind Granada and Mallorca, who are both on 29 points, and have one game in hand over the latter.

But after picking up four points from two matches, they suffered a 1-2 home defeat to high-flying Real Betis last time out.

Cadiz have struggled mightily at home this season and have the worst home record in the entire league. But they have finally improved under new coach Sergio, going five games unbeaten, including back-to-back wins over Rayo Vallecano and Villarreal, prior to their defeat to Betis.

Cadiz’s away from has been slightly better, with three wins and 14 points in 15 games.

Cadiz will be without key midfielder Ruben Alcaraz due to suspension, which will be a significant blow to their defensive stability. The 30-year-old has been a regular starter since Sergio’s arrival in January and has helped the team keep five clean sheets in his last eight appearances.

But scoring goals continues to be the biggest concern for Cadiz. They have only scored 26 goals in 31 games, the second-lowest tally in the league. 38-year-old Alvaro Negredo leads the team with six goals.

History

Cadiz have only been back in La Liga for two seasons, but they have had surprising success against Barcelona during that time. They won their first meeting 2-1 at home in 2020 with Negredo scoring the winning goal. They then held Barca to a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou thanks to a late Alex Fernandez penalty.

Cadiz once again held Barca to a goalless draw in their first meeting this season. Barca spent the last 25 minutes down to 10 men after Frenkie de Jong was sent off for two yellow cards.

Betting Tip 

SBOTOP odds have Barcelona installed as overwhelming 1.21 favourites to finally get their first win in two years over Cadiz, who are priced at an astronomical 12.00 to win at Camp Nou. Meanwhile, a draw is 6.40.

Barca will surely be motivated to bounce back after their humiliating home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. But with Pedri out injured and Cadiz still fighting for their La Liga lives, it will not be easy for the Catalans.

I expect Cadiz to make this quite a competitive affair at the Camp Nou, with the visitors’ dogged defending keeping them relatively close.

 

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